World Badminton Championship: Ayush Shetty Stuns World Champion Shi Yu Qi in Opening Round; Winning Start for PV Sindhu Too
New Delhi. India's young badminton star Ayush Shetty delivered a performance in the opening round of the World Badminton Championship that captured the attention of the entire badminton world. Ranked world number 22, Ayush made a spectacular start to the tournament by defeating the reigning world champion and world number one, China's Shi Yu Qi, in a thrilling match that ended 21-14, 13-21, 21-19.
In the match played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, Ayush displayed an aggressive style of play right from the start. He took the lead by winning the first game 21-14, but Shi Yu Qi staged a comeback in the second game, leveling the match by winning it 21-13.
The deciding game saw a fierce contest between the two players. Ayush maintained his composure under pressure and won the game 21-19, pulling off a major upset.
This victory marks another significant milestone in Ayush's rapidly rising career. He had previously demonstrated his talent by winning a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
He secured his first BWF World Tour title at the 2025 US Open by defeating Canada's Brian Yang. Subsequently, he proved his mettle by winning a silver medal at the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships.
Winning Start for PV Sindhu Too
India's star player PV Sindhu also began her campaign with a victory in the women's singles category. World number nine Sindhu defeated Ireland's Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11 in just 29 minutes. She will face Canada's Wen Yu Zhang in the second round.
In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand defeated Spain's Paula Lopez and L. Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13.
Meanwhile, in the men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun won the first game 21-16 against Ireland's Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds. The Irish pair retired from the match due to an injury while trailing 4-6 in the second game.